Cross with Bravery
By Avery Miles
In early January I returned from one of the most amazing vacations I‘ve ever taken. On December 13 I boarded an Ethiopian Airlines plane destined for Cairo. By way of Addis Ababa, my two companions and I made the near six-hour flight over Sudan and straight on for the Egyptian capital where our other friends awaited us. Having paid $670 for the flight, I was happily surprised by the low price tags I found tagged onto souvenir memorabilia and entry fees. As six Egyptian pounds (LE) amounted to one U.S. dollar, the cost of things seemed delightfully low. For two and a half weeks I explored the myriad of sights and activities throughout the amazing city of Cairo, as well as other places like Alexandria and the Sinai Peninsula.
From the perch in our comfortable apartment near downtown Cairo, my group and I ventured out to enjoy the city. The first day we hailed a cab (which only cost about five U.S. dollars, so if you are able to mime or pick up some Arabic taxis are an easy way to travel). We then traveled a few kilometers west outside of the city to see the renowned pyramids. In person, they seemed a lot smaller than I had imagined; the scene in which Aladdin and Jasmine fly over the Sphinx of Giza is a bit misleading! However, they were still magnificent and definitely merit a visit for those interested in seeing one of the world‘s ancient wonders. Afterward we dined in a modern fast-food restaurant that served up huge servings of koshari, a tasty mixture of noodles, rice, and lentils covered in tomato sauce and caramelized onions.
That night we grabbed a cab over to the eastern side of the city where we watched the dancing
Sufis. This is truly a sight to see: as a line of men plays the tublah drums, each dancer takes a turn displaying his musical talents. Then, the main performer arrives and begins to spin. And spin. And spin. And continues to spin until you think you may be sick simply from watching his non-stop twirling. He spun for an hour without stopping. All the while he was able to stay in one spot, untie his decorative skirts, and lift them over his head!
One day we took a stroll through the older part of the city, observing the noble churches. Then we took a jaunt over to one of the world‘s oldest Universities at Al Azhar mosque. If you are inclined towards museums, take a peek in at the Egyptian Museum before embarking on a breezy ride on a felucca boat along the Nile River.
We indulged in some more frivolous activities mixed in with the scholarly trips. On Christmas day, Katy and I went to see the Egyptian Premier League play for only 70 pounds each. The game was good but not as interesting as the fans—they got just as riled up as American fans do during football games!
Long deprived of a big screen movie in Rwanda, we journeyed to the city‘s multiplex cinema to see the new Harry Potter movie for the unbeatable price of three U.S. dollars. Before going into the theater we stopped at an outside vendor‘s stand and purchased some juice boxes. I know that tradition dictates that we should have picked up some candy to snack on, but we were already stuffed with chocolate-covered peanuts thanks to the cheap candy store right below our apartment. Coming from Rwanda, we all went a little crazy with the amount of junk food that we consumed. We simply couldn‘t resist the mesmerizing packages of Doritos and potato chips at each store we passed. Only two shops down from our apartment was the cutest old man who welcomed me with an easy smile each time I ordered a falafel.
In general, we walked everywhere or crammed into taxis. Christmas Eve, however, proved the exception when we boarded a train headed for the northwest coastal city of Alexandria. The standard price was about five U.S. dollars. I recommend taking the ―express‖ train, which only lasted two and half hours (versus the ―French‖ train that tacked on another hour). Our first stop was at the fortress where the entrance fee was 25 LE. This grand structure, which stands overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, served as protection for this historical city centuries ago. Next we stepped inside the magnificent Library of Alexandria, which at the price of only 10 LE is certainly an architectural masterpiece to behold. Ravenous after our site seeing, we sampled the delicacies of a local fish restaurant. I‘m no fish connoisseur, but the others raved about the cuisine, so that‘s something to consider when visiting this seaside town.
Have I mentioned the traffic yet? As one local man cheerily declared to my friends, ―The traffic is crazy—you must cross with bravery!‖ Each time you thought about taking a step off of the curb, you had to prepare for the torrent of cars in every direction. Cars constantly zoomed around corners and sped along the highways, much to the peril of pedestrians. Needless to say, we were not about to charge into such madness, especially when there was six lanes of it, so we took a taxi (right?)! Once we were safely on the other side of the highway from hell, we walked into a large shopping mall. It was grand: carnival rides, a movie theater, and hundreds of shops filled with glorified products. I didn‘t need time to deliberate; I made a beeline for the Cinnabon. Such a sugary, delectable mess was perfect for ringing in the holiday!
With only three days left to savor our holiday, fellow PCV Chris Maiorano and I took a spontaneous overnight excursion down to visit Mount Sinai, one of the holiest places on earth. Legend has it that Moses first heard God speak to him and received the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai and is also the origin of the Ten Commandments. For the price of nine U.S. dollars and the duration of eight hours the bus jolted us down the peninsula (we reveled in the fact that we were technically on an Asian continent!). We arrived in the valley town of Al Milga where we shivered for about four hours before we began hiking at one o‘clock in the morning. We followed the guidebook‘s advice and paid 80 LE for a Bedouin guide who accompanied us along the fierce climb. (We later discovered that the mountain was not much higher in elevation than the ones back at our own sites in Rwanda!!) This trip was a perfect finale to the whole vacation. I would urge anyone to look into embarking upon this hike, as it was not only tourist-friendly but amazingly beautiful as well!
Maiorano, and Rob Navarro at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, December 2010.
Photo courtesy of Rob Navarro. 
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